KINETIC CARNIVAL - The Coney Island Blog

A space of musings, past and current as well as the future of amusements in the legendary Coney Island and Beyond!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Performance Benefit For Coney Island USA

Courtesy of Coney Island USA

SoHo Rep, a support hub for local contemporary theater throughout New York City is hosting a benefit performance to aid the cultural arts center, Coney Island USA to help them in their recovery and restoration efforts from Hurricane Sandy. The benefit performance will take place Sunday, November 26th 2012 at

The critically acclaimed
production is entitled "We are Proud to Present A Presentation..." by Jackie
Sibblies Drury which The New York Times called "An inventive new
play...with incendiary results" and Flavorpill named it "one of the
best shows of the year."

All proceeds for this performance will go to
help Coney Island USA in our recovery efforts. Thanks Soho Rep.!

Bring Back The Boardwalks Fund Raiser

Here is the press release from the organizers of the Silent Art Auction and Fundraiser to help Bring Back the Boardwalks.BRING BACK THE BOARDWALKS FUND RAISER to benefit the rebuilding efforts in the Far Rockaways and Coney Island Silent auction on Saturday, November 17th from 2pm - 9pm at Trais Gallery in Soho, located at 76 Wooster Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY. What: BRING BACK THE BOARDWALKS will donate 100% of the proceeds of the silent auction to the recovery and rebuilding of the communities of the Rockaways and Coney Island. As New Yorkers, so many of our memories are connected to the boardwalks of these wonderful places so close to NYC in the Rockaways and Coney Island. We are all rallying together to help these places recover, rebuild and... come back again.

The film follows the closing of a long-time running carnival wild ride; the Zipper and its operators as they are forced to zip up and shut their Coney business. What started as a small film about the stomach-churning ride, turned into a full scope of the greed and politics behind the fight and plight of the world famous amusement area in Brooklyn, New York. The film's director, Amy Nicholson, presents a well-informed and entertaining look at the up and back between power figures and their critics. Both reactionists and those really effected by its change. At times, facial reactions by speakers, breeds new statements which speaks for themselves.
After the first showing at the SVA Theater, there was a question and answer session by the festival's moderator and the film director. Audience members were treated to fun Coney gift bags, and a invited to the after-party.

After screening gift bags

"Zipper: Coney Island's Last Wild Ride" film celebrate it's encore presentation with two more showings at the IFC Center located at 323 Sixth Avenue at W. 3rd Street, Thursday, November 15th at 3:00 pm and then again at 9:30 pm.
Visit the Zipper's Facebook page for updates.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

First Snowfall In Coney Island

The first winter storm of the season was a light snow fall for the New York area but a further annoyance for those that just recently got power back and started to dry up from Hurricane Sandy. But winter storm Athena was no Sandy, and it wasn't expected to be. Snow mixed with rain causing slippery conditions was it's worse outcome, for most people. Some did lose power right after it came back on after superstorm Sandy put them in a blackout for many days.

Last week the hurricane washed sand inland past the boardwalk, and the sand dunes, some created by winds, others by releif workers for the cleanup, got a coating of Athena's snow. As well, the debris-laden beach received a blacket of snow, obscuring any evidence of a hurricane aftermath.

But signs of a post-storm Coney was evident from the stacks of furniture and merchandise from businesses that were piled outside to be hauled away by santitation. The non-profit Coney Island USA organization also lost merchanise that was destroyed by the storm. For me it was a tempting pile of 'garbage'. Coney beer glasses from the Shmaltz beer company, Coney Pilsner bike shirts, and other Coney t-shirts and items sadly destroyed and now useless with no value.

Overall, the quiet white boardwalk was still with nothing but Tom's Restarant open with some activity. A few guests coming in to warm up and eat, as well as a few Coney denizens strolling in and utilizing the corner boardwalk restaurant as a meeting place. Coucelmember Domenick Recchia walked in tall and celebrity-like to meet with a group of people at the back of the restaurant. A few usual Coney figures like Stanley Fox were slumming around the Restaurant.

The clean up and relief seems to have slowed down compared to last week. More assesment needs to be made in order to get a better picture on what the outcome for the coming Spring and Summer seasons will be.

Coney Vid: Coney Historian Braves The Hurricane

He dared to stay and confront the crashing waves of Hurricane Sandy as she roared onto land and flooded the shoreline at Seagate Brooklyn. Coney Island historian and author Charles Denson braved the flooding waves to make his video. This is rare footage that shows how the sea level rises in a storm and gushes in over the shoreline and begins its path of havoc and destruction.Hurricane Sandy Devastates Sea Gate And coney Island

Sunday, November 04, 2012

Relief Efforts In Coney Island Continue Needing Your Help

Image Courtesy of Timothy Murray

Coney Island took a big hit with hurricane Sandy. Though the Huffington Post writes about the uncertainty of Coney Island; hanging in the balance - Coney Island's cleanup is still in need of more help in order continue with the relief efforts.

We could use the following to assist in cleaning up our flooded Ground floor at 1208 Surf Ave. - Daily food for workers, coffee maker, filters, coffee, dehumidifiers, fans, squeegees, mops, mop buckets, protective clothing such as hazmat suits, household heavy duty rubber gloves, N95 disposable respirators, paper towels, cleaning cloths, brooms, Lysol concentrated cleaner, disinfectant. If you are able to donate any of the above items, we would kindly accept them from Noon - 6pm, seven days a week. Please bring or ship to Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave. Brooklyn NY 11224. We are between Stillwell Ave and West 12th street.